Web 2.0

Every few years, there are certain buzz words that just take off in the business world, and before you know it, they are a part of your everyday jargon. For example, years ago a PowerPoint presentation was called just that - a PowerPoint presentation. Skip forward a bit, and people now refer to it as a deck. There was the trend of pinging someone versus the old-fashioned wording of e-mailing them. Low-hanging fruit became common wording in strategy sessions, and inboxes no longer referred to plastic black trays at the end of your desk.

In this world of ever-evolving changes in word choices and hip semantics, it naturally goes to flow that terms in the technology arena pop up at the speed of lightning. Within a few short years, WiFi and URLs are part of our everyday language. Texts no longer mean school books, and social networks, not the corner bar downtown, are now the places to see and be seen.

With your daily information overload and multiple multimedia interactions at an all-time high, who has time to keep up with all of this? Really, it's not easy so don't be embarrassed if you are increasingly hearing of Web 20. but not really grasping a good concept of what it is. In an effort to keep this simple and not provide too much detail, here is a high-level overview of what Web 2.0 is and is not, in essence, Web 2.0 for Dummies.

Web 2.0 is not an upgrade of the Internet
Often when a number is behind anything related to software or the Internet, it is easy to think upgrade or software patch. No doubt, your mind easily makes that assumption based on your experience with various software products. In this case, however, Web 2.0 is not an upgraded World Wide Web.

Web 2.0 is a new way of using the Internet
Think back to when you got your first personal computer at work. A strong guess is that you used it primarily for business functions such as word processing or the creation of spreadsheets. Over time, more software applications were developed; the Internet hit the mainstream; companies adapted their IT infrastructure to support corporate e-mail. Your use of the computer had greatly changed, while the hardware may have remained the same. Think of Web 2.0 as a way to use the same Internet technology in a different and more creative and collaborative way. Instead of just going to the Internet to view sites and find information, you now through Web 2.0 have the ability to contribute content to many sites and to share information. This enables your experience on the Internet to become more of a two-way street, versus a one-way flow of outbound information to you.

What does Web 2.0 mean to you
Without going into all the complexities of the many technical components that create and support Web 2.0-enabled sites, for example, let's keep this as simple as possible so that you can understand how Web 2.0 is impacting your life. Keep in mind that Web 2.0 is an expanded way of doing things and it is often collaborative. Wikipedia is a great example of a site that uses Web 2.0 technologies. Through the constant updates of definitions by multiple authors, this site is a fluid and dynamic source for information. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are built on Web 2.0 technologies. You have the opportunity on these sites to add your own profile, connect with others and even change the pages of others by adding comments, for example. Again, this is a fluid and non-static site. Web 2.0 is increasingly being embraced by the software developers and Web site architects because society demands a say in things, now more than ever. You are no longer looking at just movie critics' opinions, for example, when deciding which DVD to rent. Additionally, you are looking at consumer reviews and recommendations made by your friends, all enabled by Web 2.0 technologies. Due to these technologies, you can also share and add a voice to things about which you are passionate, whether it be a good recipe or a political opinion. Web 2.0 in a nutshell means a world of opportunity in terms of information sharing, information gathering, networking, shopping and many other activities.

While this article only scratches the surface of what Web 2.0 is and what it may mean to you, it hopefully will help anyone who was a bit fuzzy on this concept to have more confidence the next time someone mentions it or you see it in print. Technology today is changing so rapidly, but sometimes just a bit of knowledge can take you far.